I'm happy with Malkin, this thread has nothing to do with yesterday's result. I'd have posed the same hypothetical at some point even if the Pens had won another Cup this year.

I'm just wondering how and when this team is going to acquire some quality wingers? And while Trottier was valuable, he wasn't near as valuable as wingers like Mark Rechi, Kevin Stevens, Rick Tochett, Joey Mullen and Jaromir Jagr were to those Cup runs. It's ridiculous that with centers like we have that we don't have one winger that you'd project to a 30 goal season like all of the aforementioned wingers from our old Cup teams annually would project to.

And again you're still ignoring the emerging force that is Jordon Staal. Jordon's improved by leaps and bounds this past season. His play is still ascending, wouldn't you agree? He's arguably a first line center on many teams, is it fair to ask him to continue on in the role of a 3rd line center? Is it the best utilization of available talent?

I'm not ignoring Staal's presence on the team. Personally, I think his future is riding shotgun with Malkin on the 2nd line - he has, after all, put up his best numbers while playing with him. He will not be a 3rd line center forever. His brother Eric moved to wing mid-season, and he flourished after struggling most of the season playing center. I see Jordan doing the same. Then they can use Max Talbot or one of the young centers they have in the minors to take over the 3rd line duties. We'll see what happens, but I think that is what Shero has had in mind all along.

As for the winger problem, I've been complaining about this for the past 4 years. Thing is, with them having so much money tied up in the Big 5, there's only so much money left to go around, so it hurts their ability to bring in quality wingers. The only way they could get a winger like you described is if they developed one of their own, and that is where they have failed miserably and why I was so against them trading Caputi for Poni. After Tangradi, they have absolutely no one who legitimately projects to even a 25-goal scorer at wing, which is what I think Tangradi will be - and remember they had to trade for him. They should trade in some of their massive young depth on D to try and land a legit top-6 winger - that's the only other way they'll be able to get one outside of the draft, especially if they re-sign Gonchar.